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Lent Day 18: Cyprian: On the Unity of the Church: 1-9

...rrupt the truth, might divide the unity” and snatch “men from the Church itself”! These people whom the enemy deceives, “do not stand firm with the Gospel of Christ, and with the observation and law of Christ, they still call themselves Christians, and, walking in darkness, they think that they have the light”. Cyprian has strong words and feelings about this matter, lives are at stake, and this schism is potentially leading many astray. ...while the adversary is flattering and deceiving, who, according to the apostle's word, transforms himself into an angel of light, and equips his ministers as if they were the ministers of righteousness, who main...

Lent Day 37: Leo the Great: Letter XXVIII (called the "Tome")

...owing the truth by some obscurity … thus they stand out as masters of error because they were never disciples of truth... He goes on to wonder how Eutyches could not have been corrected by others or more in depth study, or even want to change his view when even the the Creeds say otherwise, which is the measure by which all heresies are defeated. [Has he] not even grasped the rudiments of the Creed? And that which, throughout the world, is professed by the mouth of everyone who is to be born again … By which ... the devices of almost all heretics are overthrown. The Creed He goes on to quote the statements of the Creed, which is confessed by all th...

The Relationship Between Jesus and Sophia

...up to the truth, who have fallen prostrate before idols, and is itself the first resurrection from our fall.– Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen, ch. 8 For He is termed Wisdom, according to the expression of Solomon … He is also styled First-born, as the apostle has declared: “ who is the first-born of every creature.” The first-born, however, is not by nature a different person from the Wisdom, but one and the same.– Origen, De Principiis, 1.2.1 And Solomon, David’s son and successor, presenting the same thought by a different name, instead of the ‘Word’ called Him Wisdom, making the following statement as in her person…– E...

Does Jesus mean Hail Zeus?

...memes as truth without any further research, so here’s my quick apologetic against Jesus being some pagan deity name for “Zeus”. No, Jesus doesn't mean "hail Zeus" The whole argument hinges on the sound of the suffix “sus” being similar to “Zeus” and is apparently also the Latin word for the Greek god’s name, and the “Je” meaning “Hail”, therefore Jesus means “Hail-Zeus”. The whole 'argument' shows a total lack of even very basic knowledge in ancient languages which can be found from multiple sources online. See the image to the right for a breakdown of the Greek words for "hail" and "Zeus".  Another, similarly blasphemous ar...

Lent: Day 4 - Polycarp to the Philippians

...ng of the truth.” Why: Much like the New Testament letter to the Philippians, it it written to encourage the church on its faith and perseverance of salvation. When: Estimated 110-140 AD One of the first things that will strike you about this letter is that if you didn't know any better, you’d think it was a Pauline epistle you were reading! It has all the trappings of a classic New Testament pastoral letter to a local church, from the way out opens with the typical greetings and salutations, to the way it closes with praise and recommendations of other believers. This letter is all about encouraging and urging the church in Philippi to continue to st...

Nails, Theses, and Myth: The truth About Luther's Famous Door

...As we commemorated the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation this year, the familiar image of Martin Luther striding up to the church door in Wittenberg — hammer in hand and fire in his eyes — has once again taken centre stage. It’s a compelling picture, etched into the imagination of many. But as is often the case with historical legends, closer scrutiny tells a far more nuanced and thought-provoking story. The Myth of the Door: Was the Hammer Ever Raised? Cambridge Reformation scholar Richard Rex is one among several historians who have challenged the romanticised narrative. “Strangely,” he observes, “there’s almost n...